Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1887-02-08

explained to few representative citizens the
condition of things, begging that the matter
be kept as quiet ss possible and saying that
believed the giving of publicity to it would
create panic and might induce the coming
there of ncendiaries. That the community
was in imminent danger felt certain. AT
that meeting was Mr.. Higgins, the chairman
of the Board of Selectmen and member OF
the Board of Health. / explained 10 them
the situation, and that had found that BY
cutting channel 800 feet long and IA iHches
deep and having it properly done the water
supply of Bar Harbor could be increased
very greatly. was asked by the citizens to
accompany them TO Mr.. Fountain Rodick, to
explain to him the situation, and l went
did not know Mr.. Rodick and believe | had
never met him. felt very strongly and
spoke strongly because feel strongly for
suffering community. And you will remem-
her that have often had to stand for the
communities in the State of New York to
insure that they got their rights as against
water companies. Therefore my sympathies
are " 18th communities as sanitary representa-
tive of the State. l explained to Mr..
Rodck the situation. He received US with
perfect courtesy, but ridiculed the danger.
/
the fact was that it was merely a change of
wind that had blown the water up to the
other end of the lake. and that there had not
heen and Guild not be any such fall in the
water as I feared. We then went into the
matter fully and explained to him the details
of what had observed. He saw that the citi
zens were aroused in the matter, and | think
that he felt had ASSURED myself of the exact
facts, so he agreed to carry out the plan
proposed for cutting deep channel, but |
must say that got the impression that he
felt compelled to do it. Certainly he had
made no move toward it; certainly he was
incred dubious when we went to him with
statement of the condition of things; certain
y he resisted until we used all the force that
we could in the way of persuasion ard
argument to induce him to carry out this
plan At the same time the town authorities
were so convinced that they stood ready to
carry it out if he did not.
He said he would carry it out Immediately.
In two DAYS he got the men there in sufficient
numbers to do the work within a reasonable
time. and fortunately a change of wind from
the sea stayed the evaporation for one day so
that the water did not fall as rapidly, al
though it returned to its former condition
afterwards. Acting for a committee of the
citizens, | set he stakes and ran the levels
for the work, and the result was to increase
the flow of the lake to four millions of gal
Ions day. On Sept. Sd | made measure
ments of the water taken into the intake
pipe, and the amount was about 400 900
gallons per diem. A million of gallons per
day were running to waste by the leaks in
the gate and dam at the reservoir. These
facts show that at the time Mr.. Rodick WAS
called upon by the citizens, August 30th their
supply was reduced to from six to seven hun
bred thousand gallons day; but that when,
bv this work, the supply was increased,
million and four hundred thousand gallons
flowed into the intake pipe, In other words,
the supply of water at Bar Harbor had been
reduced to less than half when the citizens
took action in the matter.
was called upon by the citizens to state to
them the facts in regard to the sanitary con
dtion of this water, and l informed them
that had no hesitancy in saying that the
present reservoir was absolutely an improper
place from which to take the water supply
Of Bar Harbor from a sanitary point of view
Thy asked if wished chemical analysis
made | told them no, for that was only one
of the means of determining the sanitary con
dition of water, and not by any means the
most important We know now bevond
question that the element in water that does
harm in most cases is not the excessive
amount of organic matter, but certain minute
vital organisms or germs that reach the
human intestines or lungs and act upon them,
DESTROYING health and life. Now in examin-
ing and passing upon water supply two
questions came up, First: Does the water
exist under such conditions as to favor the
growth of these germs of disease; and,
second, il it liable to contamination from
specific disease germs from animal sources,
so that dangerous germs may be implanted
in the water for growth. Water raised to
high temperature is in one of the most favor
able conditions for the growth of organisms.
When in addition find it leaching from
swamps, there is no hesitation in condemning
the water as unfit to drink when better can
be had. | found by taste and o9or that this
water being inpregnsted by swampy ma
terial, and could see with my own eyes the
large amount of swamp water that was drain
ing into it. | therefore felt no hesitation in
cnndemning this place as an absolutely i'm
proper source from which to take water
Their fore | made no chemical test and have
none to present to you.
Now these organisms that exist in swamps
which affect the human system are not neces-
sarily typhoid fever or diphthera. There
is a large class of organisms which simply
disturb the digestion without causing any
specific or well-marked disease They cause
disturbance of the digestive organs, and it
was that which I feared. The ground is
taken by santarians at water supplies must
be above suspicion. If there is doubt take
the wholesome water when there is choice,
as there is in this case. Eagle Lake in all
its sanitary conditions is one of the purest
and most perfect water supplies in this cOun-
try.
Now as to the question of the suf-
ficiency of the supply. We want
to remember what kind of population this
is at Bar Harbor. They differ very radically
from the population of city. They are
people who have special wants and require
houses, and beautiful lawns, and flowers
about their houses They come there to have
the Injuries of life. Therefore water for
those flowers and lawns, and for other pur-
poses about their houses, is one of the essen
tial wants OF such a community. 1t is use
less to say that they ought not to have water
to put upon their lawns. If they had felt
that they could not have water for such pur-
pose they would not have been in Bar Harbor.
Within the last few years had occasion to
examine the water records of the village of
| Saratoga, where, as the water supply is
pumpei, the consumption is exactly known.
In September, 1884. the average daily con-
sumption was about 100000 gallons. the
daily maximum consumption being 5000, 900